To pray like a persistent child Oftentimes, we conceptualize the teaching of discipline as the person being obedient and staying put. Yet, it is fascinating how the parables encourage us to be persistent, “makulit” even, when we pray. Maybe we can find insight here: we teach “discipline” up to the moment when a person develops […]
Silence and pauses Is it better to stay silent than to blurt out negatives or “uninsightful” things? What if our thoughts could hurt but they also contain insight, like when we vigorously disagree with something? When is being silent and pausing a virtue, and when is it a sin? Maybe we can learn from music […]
Living multiple fragmented lives makes us prone to hypocrisy It is not anymore an exaggeration to say that we live multidimensional lives. We have various roles – personas even – that we play. In the physical (traditional) world, we could be a child, a parent, a friend, a professional, a follower, a leader. Even in […]
Provocations When playing JRPGs (Japanese role-playing games, like my favorite Suikoden II), to provoke is to entice the enemy to attack a certain ally. I initially thought that provoking should be done only to one’s enemies. But provocations do have a power when used on teammates as well. The risk is that a teammate might […]
Inauthenticity is a vicious cycle of a sin Managing appearances without aligning what is underneath it turns the appearance into a malicious illusion; designed to betray what should have been good faith. Maybe this is why Dante’s inferno places traitors (and, if we think of it, by extension – hypocrites) in the lowest level of […]
“Fake it til you make it” and Usopp Usopp is a One Piece character known for his lies (and the trend that his lies somehow turn into reality in time). Maybe he is a great personification of “fake it til you make it”. On one hand, this thought can be interpreted as encouraging aspirations and […]
Some parallels between seeking insight and training muscles Muscles do not magically grow after lifting weights. We need to rest and recover. Too much could tear the muscles and break them down. Insights and signs do not always automatically become obvious after inquiring. We need to rest and recover. Too much focus can make us […]
Gratitude x Netero x Meruem The Hunter x Hunter Chimera Ant arc is one of the greatest anime or manga arcs of all time. One of the stand out events in that arc is when Netero, the Chairman of the Hunter Guild, fought Meruem, the King of the Ants. The power of Netero’s attack stems […]
Consistency is about excellencism, not perfectionism It is way easier to remember the peaks and lows. This may be why people can tend towards perfectionism. But what matters more is consistency. It may be more boring, but it is the principle that lies authentic excellencism. Luke 11:27-28. More blessed still are those who hear the […]
Connecting scattered dots The information age can bombard us with so much clutter; we are challenged to find meaningful connections amid the scattered dots that surround us. Maybe we can discover patterns. Maybe we can find supposed associations and connections between events or seemingly unrelated events. But maybe the invitation is to leverage on the […]